When A Man Loves A Woman
by Delena2010
Summary: Carol and Daryl have to share a room at the prison. What will happen when they finally have a moment alone with each other? Will Daryl finally allow himself to feel something for Carol? Will Carol see that she is all that Daryl needs?


**When A Man Loves A Women**

**Chapter One – Fight To Live**

**Daryl Dixon P.O.V**

While everyone collected the last of the supplies from the car I kept watch on one side of the road while T-Dog watched the other. I was sure that herd that passed us on the farm was going to be hot on our tails. I had barely made it through the forest outside the farm for the amount of walkers. I didn't regret taking one last second to look at the farm and the burning barn. I needed to see what I was leaving behind just one last time. Although I wouldn't admit it to any of the crew, the place was starting to grow on me there towards the end.

It was a good thing I stayed behind anyway, if I hadn't waited until that very last second then Carol would have been caught by those walkers following after her. She was lucky I was there at the time, she didn't want to land up like her daughter, that much was obvious to me by the way she gripped onto me as I slid through the walkers on my bike.

Maybe deep down I didn't want her to turn out like Sophie too. Carol had already lost her husband and daughter. I didn't want another thing to happen to her that she couldn't deal with. I knew I had failed Sophie, even though people didn't know that's how I felt it was the truth. Rick had did everything he could to get her back to the highway but I was the one that could track the best out of the crew.

I keep thinking back to those days when she was out there all alone. If I had just did something braver more clever, maybe I could have saved Sophie from whatever kind of sick son of a bitch walker that caught her. Even though you would never think it, Carol wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep these days. Every night I close my eyes and I see that little girl, I see her coming out of that barn.

I never really felt sorry for anyone, not even myself, but I felt bad for Carol. Her eyes were sore and tired and she couldn't sleep. She was hunted by the memory of Sophie creeping out of that barn, her skin covered in blood and her clothes ripped and dirty. Who only knows how long she had been alone before she had gotten bitten.

It was wishful thinking and I wasn't a praying man but I hoped that whenever it happened to her. I hoped it was quick and that she got away from the walker before it could do anything to her. It was cruel and disgusting to hope that she only got bit and think that was a good thing for her. But after seeing that walker push its hands into Dale's stomach and rip out his insides to feed on him. I knew one bite was a mercy to the child somehow. And I hoped that was JCs way of telling Carol he was listening to her that day in the little church when she prayed for Sophie.

For some reason I really couldn't explain I turned slightly and looked over my shoulder to the crew. I casted my eyes over to Carol who was folding clothes and talking to Lori with a worried expression. I wasn't in charge of Carol, she wasn't my responsibility. But I also knew there was a part of me however small that wanted to keep an extra eye on her. I couldn't explain it or deal with it right now but I wanted her to be safe. Hell I wanted us all to be safe, me in particular but Carol too. She needed something, she needed someone in her life again and maybe I could be that someone.

Hell I wasn't going to purpose marriage or ask to go steady but making that little extra effort to help her come back to life again was something I was willing to do. We're all lost and exhausted, Carol more than any of us and I knew all about being lost. I didn't need anything from Carol, I was alright the way I was but maybe she needed me. Or maybe it was just me being nuts as always.

"How's it lookin?" Rick asked as he came up behind me.

"I think if we get to a fuel station before first light we should be out of here by tomorrow morning" I suggested.

Rick nodded but kept his eyes on the ground.

"I would have did it too"

Rick looked up and met my eyes.

I shrugged "If I was in the same position you were in at the time, not knowing to tell everyone or not, I would have did the same" I admitted.

Hell I felt bad for the guy he had enough on his plate without dealing her all the girls having bitch fits and the men giving him looks. Rick had kept his mouth shut about the infection being in all of us already. And for the sake of the crew I would have kept quite too.

"You would?"

I stepped up to him "You've got a crew here trying to find a way to live, you really gonna tell them all that they're infected when they were in the first place in a long time that felt like a home?" I asked.

Rick ran his hand through his hair "Yeah we were all settled there for a while I guess" he shook his head "They have every reason to hate me I accept that" he said.

"They might hate you, hell they hated me at the start some of them probably still do. But they respect you anyway"

"Why?"

"Because we're keeping each other alive. All of us" I said and looked over Rick's shoulder over to Carol who I could have sworn I saw looking our way.

"Yeah maybe your right"

I smirked "When have you ever known me to be wrong" I shrugged.

"So what do you think about tonight?"

"I'm thinking double shifts, one person watching one side another watch the other. We're out in the open and that herd could pass us at any point"

"Alright I'll take the first watch with T-Dog and maybe you could take the second?"

"Sure" I agreed.

"Who will we ask to cover you now that-"

Andrea and Shane were both gone now. Andrea would usually take watch same time as me and Shane with Rick. We were losing people left right and centre.

I returned my gaze over to Carol while Rick thought about tonight's schedule. She was alone now, Lori and Carl were walking hand in hand back into the woods with Glen following after them with his gun. I hated everyone spreading out this way, strangely though seeing Carol still standing in exactly the same place brought an overwhelming sense of calm over me.

"Carol" I said to Rick as I returned my attention to him "She should take watch with me tonight" I suggested.

"I don't know Daryl, she's reliable but she hasn't had any gun training and she's still grieving for Sophie"

"Yeah Rick I'm not gonna pretend I know the women cause I don't. But something tells me she'll be grieving for Sophie for a long time to come. And with regards to the guns, its about time she learned to use one"

"Shane was suppose to teach her before-"

I scratched my nose slightly "Well I'll teach her" I told him.

"You?"

"You got some sort of problem with that?" I asked.

"No just not like you"

"Yeah well I don't want a repeat of tonight"

"No you're right. I'm sorry. Guess I'm just tired"

I slid my crossbow over my shoulder and left Rick to talk to T-Dog about the next shift. I headed towards the car where Carol stood collecting clothes from the back seat.

Carol had her back to me as I approached her. I tapped her bare shoulder causing her to jump slightly. I stepped back immediately as she turned around to face me.

"Sorry" she gasped clutching her chest.

"No I shouldn't have-" I stopped and she smiled at me.

"Uh listen if its alright with you, if your up for it we could use a hand on watch tonight"

"Oh uh, I've never done that before"

"Well I'll be there so, if your not up for it then hell I can ask Glen or whatever"

"No I am its just I don't really see the point anymore that's all"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on Daryl, we're all going to be caught eventually. It's like these walkers are picking us off one by one"

"So your just giving up?"

Carol sighed "Nothing is going to be alright no matter how long we watch for them or how many bullets we have in our guns. They're dead and there coming for us" she said.

"You know" I stepped towards her into her personal space "Out of the both of us to give up hope first, I would have thought it would be me" I told her.

"I cant have hope anymore, my legs are swollen because of how far I ran from those walkers tonight, Andrea died because I wasn't prepared. None of us are prepared for anything"

"And you'd rather just give up then fight?"

"Fight for what?"

"Fight for your god damn right to live" I hissed.


End file.
